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Recoil is nothing more than proof of Mr. Newton’s third law but it is also an insidious, evil spirit that lives in all guns.
In my time I have willingly shot guns that hurt me and learned a basic truth: no matter how tough we are- or think we are- there is always a point at which the recoil wins and we start to flinch. There is also a direct and negative correlation: the heavier the recoil the worse the accuracy.
Of course everyone responds to recoil differently but nobody is immune. When you shoot a gun and it hurts you a memory is implanted in the most primitive portion of the brain and if you keep adding insult to injury sooner or later the lizard brain is going to rebel and bestow upon you a monumental flinch.
I’ve done a lot of teaching, especially cops and women who have never fired a gun and it is hard to get them past the fear that the noise and recoil is going to hurt them. It is a perfectly normal human response, known as the startle reflex, to shy away from loud noises and things that jump around. But it is something one has to overcome to really become a good shot.
The greatest mistake anyone can make shooting a firearm is jerking the trigger and this is by far the most difficult skill to learn. Sadly it is one of those things that the shooter often cannot see and he may truly be amazed that he is missing the target. The backstop at my range is at 70 yd. and we have some nice steel targets there. Not long ago a guy was banging away and killing worms about 25 yd. downrange. That’s a big deal because there are houses behind us and a bullet skipping out might be a problem.
Anyhow I went over and suggested that he go over to one of the shorter ranges because he was jerking the trigger and not hitting the backstop. He got really hostile and huffed,
“I am NOT jerking the trigger. I was a Marine.” He wasn’t too pleased when I asked,
“Were you an officer?”
Anyhow I had to take him down and show him the recently plowed furrows and he continued to say he couldn’t possibly have done that. He left shortly…
Shooting hard kicking guns can cause physical injury although it is almost always a cumulative thing, pain is the body’s way of warning us. A good friend, the late Harry Sefried was an engineer at Ruger when they were developing the .44 Magnum Blackhawk and he had to do a 500 round test. He did it in one day and then became the first recipient of an artificial thumb joint at Yale-New Haven Hospital. I know this because we were eating supper one night in New Haven when a gentleman approached and, without a word, picked up Harry’s right hand and began flexing the thumb. Turns out he was the surgeon. Nice guy too.
My friend John Taffin reported that he became physically ill after shooting one of the mega magnums and that pain in his wrist limits his shooting.
Now I know these are extreme examples that don’t apply to many people but none of us is immune to the effects of recoil on fine motor skills. For myself I’ve learned to recognize when things start going downhill and quit while I’m ahead. One of the big ammo companies did a study of recoil effects and concluded that a level of about 5 ft/lb of free recoil is about the upper limit for the average cop. That’s slightly under the recoil for a .45 pistol.
The more you shoot guns that hurt the more bad memories get stored in that primitive brain of ours so if we store up too many they will come back to haunt you. I’ve heard people say that wouldn’t be a problem in a real situation and that is simply bogus. It may sound simplistic, but “you play like you practice” is gospel, black letter law. We revert to our most basic memories and if those include painful stimuli it may not work out well.
While it is a normal human reaction to think more is better there are almost always limiting factors but when a human being is one part of the equation it’s hard to draw fine lines. Shooters often make the mistake of starting at the top and then are forced to re-think that choice and drop down a notch or two.
When it comes down to picking a defensive firearm or ammuntion velocity is the root of all evil. It is easy to measure and sometimes it’s the only thing writers have to talk about. If they have basic math skills, or a computer, they can calculate muzzle energy and things get even worse. Some folks see a muzzle energy of 500 ft/lb and think all their problems are solved. The literal interpretation is that there is enough force to move a weight of 500 pounds the distance of one foot. The problem is that represents a constant force and bullets don’t work that way. Their energy is only applied for the merest fraction of a second.
Of course experience is the best teacher of all and there is no better lesson than to beat yourself up a bit
In my time I have willingly shot guns that hurt me and learned a basic truth: no matter how tough we are- or think we are- there is always a point at which the recoil wins and we start to flinch. There is also a direct and negative correlation: the heavier the recoil the worse the accuracy.
Of course everyone responds to recoil differently but nobody is immune. When you shoot a gun and it hurts you a memory is implanted in the most primitive portion of the brain and if you keep adding insult to injury sooner or later the lizard brain is going to rebel and bestow upon you a monumental flinch.
I’ve done a lot of teaching, especially cops and women who have never fired a gun and it is hard to get them past the fear that the noise and recoil is going to hurt them. It is a perfectly normal human response, known as the startle reflex, to shy away from loud noises and things that jump around. But it is something one has to overcome to really become a good shot.
The greatest mistake anyone can make shooting a firearm is jerking the trigger and this is by far the most difficult skill to learn. Sadly it is one of those things that the shooter often cannot see and he may truly be amazed that he is missing the target. The backstop at my range is at 70 yd. and we have some nice steel targets there. Not long ago a guy was banging away and killing worms about 25 yd. downrange. That’s a big deal because there are houses behind us and a bullet skipping out might be a problem.
Anyhow I went over and suggested that he go over to one of the shorter ranges because he was jerking the trigger and not hitting the backstop. He got really hostile and huffed,
“I am NOT jerking the trigger. I was a Marine.” He wasn’t too pleased when I asked,
“Were you an officer?”
Anyhow I had to take him down and show him the recently plowed furrows and he continued to say he couldn’t possibly have done that. He left shortly…
Shooting hard kicking guns can cause physical injury although it is almost always a cumulative thing, pain is the body’s way of warning us. A good friend, the late Harry Sefried was an engineer at Ruger when they were developing the .44 Magnum Blackhawk and he had to do a 500 round test. He did it in one day and then became the first recipient of an artificial thumb joint at Yale-New Haven Hospital. I know this because we were eating supper one night in New Haven when a gentleman approached and, without a word, picked up Harry’s right hand and began flexing the thumb. Turns out he was the surgeon. Nice guy too.
My friend John Taffin reported that he became physically ill after shooting one of the mega magnums and that pain in his wrist limits his shooting.
Now I know these are extreme examples that don’t apply to many people but none of us is immune to the effects of recoil on fine motor skills. For myself I’ve learned to recognize when things start going downhill and quit while I’m ahead. One of the big ammo companies did a study of recoil effects and concluded that a level of about 5 ft/lb of free recoil is about the upper limit for the average cop. That’s slightly under the recoil for a .45 pistol.
The more you shoot guns that hurt the more bad memories get stored in that primitive brain of ours so if we store up too many they will come back to haunt you. I’ve heard people say that wouldn’t be a problem in a real situation and that is simply bogus. It may sound simplistic, but “you play like you practice” is gospel, black letter law. We revert to our most basic memories and if those include painful stimuli it may not work out well.
While it is a normal human reaction to think more is better there are almost always limiting factors but when a human being is one part of the equation it’s hard to draw fine lines. Shooters often make the mistake of starting at the top and then are forced to re-think that choice and drop down a notch or two.
When it comes down to picking a defensive firearm or ammuntion velocity is the root of all evil. It is easy to measure and sometimes it’s the only thing writers have to talk about. If they have basic math skills, or a computer, they can calculate muzzle energy and things get even worse. Some folks see a muzzle energy of 500 ft/lb and think all their problems are solved. The literal interpretation is that there is enough force to move a weight of 500 pounds the distance of one foot. The problem is that represents a constant force and bullets don’t work that way. Their energy is only applied for the merest fraction of a second.
Of course experience is the best teacher of all and there is no better lesson than to beat yourself up a bit
I try that method some times, just don't practice it enough!
